Please Mend The Gap

I have been writing a lot on women’s rights and gender dynamics and other things. Recently, I came across an interesting project online to create easily distributed information in the form of a booklet for women to make better choices and arrangements for their personal safety. They are leading initiatives around making public areas safer. Here is their information note. I am happy to know them.

Please Mend The Gap (PMTG) is a citizen led initiative to demand safer public spaces for all (especially women) and they are starting with the Delhi Metro, since it is India’ showcase transport project. The initiative was sparked off by the molestation of a young girl in Delhi Metro in may 2011 and a Facebook note about it that went viral. A bunch of people (twelve to be precise) came together to form a group to do something about public safety in Delhi.

So far they have organized three flash mobs to attract public attention on how unsafe Delhi Metro is for women, got almost 1000 members on their FB page and managed coverage in Delhi times & HT City. The have also done public consultations and will be sending a list of suggestions with DMRC to make Delhi Metro safer for all. Now the PMTG is printing a small booklet for Delhi women called ‘Surviving the Metro’ that will be a how to guide on surviving in the public spaces in Delhi. This booklet will be crowd sourced and money will be raised from public fundraisers. We hope to print 10,000 copies and distribute them for free across Delhi. But this is just the beginning.

There is a petition making the rounds. They want your help in making this heard. Please sign

They need funds for their initiatives. That is their immediate and urgent need. If you are able to contribute toward the creation of these resources, it will help a lot of women. Please comment if you want to donate, and I’ll get someone to contact you.

17 thoughts on “Please Mend The Gap”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW DELHI — Plans by a group of women to hold a “SlutWalk” in New Delhi to protest sexual violence have triggered a debate on whether the march can change mindsets in India about women’s status in the conservative society.The marches originated in Toronto, Canada, sparked by police officer’s remark that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like “sluts.” The events protest the notion that a woman’s appearance can explain or excuse attacks. Similar marches have been held in cities around the world.New Delhi protest organizer Umang Sabarwal said Wednesday that the march in the Indian capital would be aimed at shifting blame from the victim to the perpetrators of crimes against women. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/22/2278359/slutwalk-plan-triggers-debate.html#ixzz1PzG1RSfl

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW DELHI — Plans by a group of women to hold a “SlutWalk” in New Delhi to protest sexual violence have triggered a debate on whether the march can change mindsets in India about women’s status in the conservative society.The marches originated in Toronto, Canada, sparked by police officer’s remark that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like “sluts.” The events protest the notion that a woman’s appearance can explain or excuse attacks. Similar marches have been held in cities around the world.New Delhi protest organizer Umang Sabarwal said Wednesday that the march in the Indian capital would be aimed at shifting blame from the victim to the perpetrators of crimes against women. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/22/2278359/slutwalk-plan-triggers-debate.html#ixzz1PzG1RSfl

Still though, learning through another great woman, journalist and author, Arundhati Roy’s writings and, considering the terrible conditions unliberated Adivasi women and, many, many other poorer sectors of women are going through, i brotherly ask you to take Naxalites seriously and remain in solidarity with other women of other classes, sects, tribes, nations and what have you. After reading the recent June National Geographic of early age weddings phenomena spread not only in Islamic peoples but also people of other faiths, i who have lost my one and only sister whom, due to marriage related problems back in Iran committed suicide, cannot be indifferent about their problems. Please, on any level you can, ask women of all layers of society to take one another’s hands for the good of all if and when they can. To reply, please write back to me at siahnaxalkal@gmail.com please and, whatever god you believe in, that god I ask to save you and your family.

Still though, learning through another great woman, journalist and author, Arundhati Roy’s writings and, considering the terrible conditions unliberated Adivasi women and, many, many other poorer sectors of women are going through, i brotherly ask you to take Naxalites seriously and remain in solidarity with other women of other classes, sects, tribes, nations and what have you. After reading the recent June National Geographic of early age weddings phenomena spread not only in Islamic peoples but also people of other faiths, i who have lost my one and only sister whom, due to marriage related problems back in Iran committed suicide, cannot be indifferent about their problems. Please, on any level you can, ask women of all layers of society to take one another’s hands for the good of all if and when they can. To reply, please write back to me at siahnaxalkal@gmail.com please and, whatever god you believe in, that god I ask to save you and your family.

Thanks for the write-up. But just to clarify a few things. We haven’t sent the list of demands to the DMRC yet. The petition is doing its round collecting signatures: Secondly, the booklet will be called: “Surviving the Metro”. We look forward to everyone’s co-operation in making public transportation a safer experience for women. Please sign the petition and circulate it among your friends.http://www.petitiononline.com/MendNow/petition.html. Thanks On behalf of the core members of the PMTG group aswathy

Thanks for the write-up. But just to clarify a few things. We haven’t sent the list of demands to the DMRC yet. The petition is doing its round collecting signatures: Secondly, the booklet will be called: “Surviving the Metro”. We look forward to everyone’s co-operation in making public transportation a safer experience for women. Please sign the petition and circulate it among your friends.http://www.petitiononline.com/MendNow/petition.html. Thanks On behalf of the core members of the PMTG group aswathy

We really appreciate this note about our Initiative. Just wanted to tell you that the booklet isn’t titled yet. Our working title, however, is Surviving the Metro and not Surviving Men. If you could make that change, we’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

We really appreciate this note about our Initiative. Just wanted to tell you that the booklet isn’t titled yet. Our working title, however, is Surviving the Metro and not Surviving Men. If you could make that change, we’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

initiative is all good , but the most pathetic part is the title of book “surviving men”; as if action of few men make all the men criminals. Action of one osama makes all muslims of the world fit for executed. I have gone through sexual molestation by females in childhood, if i acknowledge it publicly then it will be far more difficult for me to survive then a lady undergoing the same circumstances, who will have sympathy and law on her side to the least. I will be mocked. Cant we both be seen as victim. One of my friend(male) had verbal requests turned into verbal argument with a lady customer who was not giving full price to the goods, she threatened him to register a case of molestation. Drawn in a verbal argument with a bad and moody customer, earns you threatening of molestation case! It doesnot mean that i hate all the women, or degrade all the women , for what happened to us by few ladies. The title could have been “Surviving Eve tease”, “Surviving molestation”, “Surviving … some better name….”, but “surviving men” sounds as if being a male is just aargh a shit

initiative is all good , but the most pathetic part is the title of book “surviving men”; as if action of few men make all the men criminals. Action of one osama makes all muslims of the world fit for executed. I have gone through sexual molestation by females in childhood, if i acknowledge it publicly then it will be far more difficult for me to survive then a lady undergoing the same circumstances, who will have sympathy and law on her side to the least. I will be mocked. Cant we both be seen as victim. One of my friend(male) had verbal requests turned into verbal argument with a lady customer who was not giving full price to the goods, she threatened him to register a case of molestation. Drawn in a verbal argument with a bad and moody customer, earns you threatening of molestation case! It doesnot mean that i hate all the women, or degrade all the women , for what happened to us by few ladies. The title could have been “Surviving Eve tease”, “Surviving molestation”, “Surviving … some better name….”, but “surviving men” sounds as if being a male is just aargh a shit